For Those Who Wait
by FightinForMyDreams
Summary: For years, Sasuke has been missing in Naruto and Sakura's lives. But out of nowhere, Sasuke comes back claiming to be on their side again. Naruto and everyone welcome him back easily enough. Except for Sakura. It'll take a lot of things before Sakura can trust him again. A lot of difficult, painful things.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! Thanks for clicking on my fic to read. This is only my second fic, so I'm saying sorry in advance if you guy's don't like it. Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, though I wish I did. Masashi Kishimoto does. Please enjoy!**

Life had to be next to perfect right now. Sure, Sasuke was still running around fucking stuff up like he's been doing for the past how many years. But Sakura couldn't help but still feel a sense of happiness engulf her being.

Here she was, sitting with her best friend Ino, sipping a nice, hot cup of a minty strawberry tea. They sat in Ino's kitchen, a nearby window letting a gentle breeze flow through the spacious apartment.

Both girls spoke animatedly, talking about Ino's flowers that just started blooming and Sakura's crazy patients at the hospital. "The orchids have just come into full bloom. The little yellow ones with the burgundy dots are my favorite." Ino said spotting the said flower by the window sill.

Sakura also looked at the flower and laughed lightly. "I like the white ones with maroon in it's center." Sakura said indicating another orchid next to Ino's favorite. Ino shrugged,"Yet another pretty one. I still prefer the yellow and burgundy myself, but your's is still a considerably pretty flower too."

Just as Sakura was about to say something else, shouts were heard from the street below. "He's back!?" a woman yelled in shock. "They finally caught him!" a man yelled after the woman.

Similar shouts echoed throughout the streets, through Ino's apartment window, and into Sakura and Ino's ears. Both girls set their cups of tea down and exited the buidling as quickly as possible to see what was going on.

Both girls looked at each other uneasily before entering the street. "What's going on?" Ino asked a random man. The man only glanced at the two girls though before running off to talk about the news the girl's wanted to desperately hear.

Ino groaned in frustration and picked out her next target: A middle aged woman who was whispering with a younger girl. Just as Ino was about to tap the woman on the shoulder, an anbu appeared by both girls.

"The hokage has requested a meeting with Sakura Haruno. Please go to the Hokage's tower immediately." the anbu said lowly before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Sakura groaned in annoyance. Ever since Naruto became the new Hokage, he's been calling her to "meetings" that were, in fact, just his way of getting her over there to talk about random things.

"I'll see you later, pig." Sakura said walking off. "Later, billboard brow." Ino threw over her shoulder without even looking back at her friend.

It took a mere minute for Sakura to walk to the tower and another to go through the winding hallways and stairs. After a little bit, she found herself in front of Naruto's office door. She breathed deeply and closed her eyes, mentally preparing herself for Naruto's usual nonsense.

She huffed deeply before proceeding through the door, ready for Naruto's overly cheerful personality to attack her immediately. But strangely enough, nothing came. She looked over at Naruto sitting behind his desk. His face was solemn and his eyes held a distant glint to them.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked uneasily, slowly inching towards her old teammate. Naruto seemed to snap out of his reverie and looked at Sakura. "Oh. You're here. Well then, shall we get going?" Naruto asked a little distracted. Sakura meerly nodded, clearly concerned over why Naruto was acting like this.

The two walked in complete and utterly awkward silence to the gate leading into Konoha. "I received word that he was coming. That's when I asked for an anbu to get you for me." Naruto said suddenly. Sakura nearly stopped in her tracks but continued walking with Naruto's brisk pace.

"Who?" Sakura asked confused. Was it some kind of criminal? A long time friend they hadn't seen in years, perhaps? Naruto smiled half-heartedly and continued walking. "You'll see." Sakura groaned as Naruto voiced his answer.

They returned to their original silence as they came within twenty feet of the gate. "Stay here. Let me go check to see if why our 'guest' is here." Naruto said. He walked the remaining space between them and the gate, leaving Sakura standing alone and uneasy.

After about five minutes, Sakura was called over. The pink haired kunoichi slunk over to the gate, obviously uncomfortable. She walked the remaing distance and looked around for Naruto. She found him only six feet away, smiling awkwardly.

She smiled back and looked at the tall figure standing next to him. Even after all these years, it didn't even take Sakura a split second to recognize that man's pale face and deep, never-ending onyx eyes. "Sasuke."

**I hope you guys liked it. I plan to make this a multichapter fanfic. If you guys think I should do something in my fic, just tell me and I'll more than likely use it. Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter 2! I will try to update this fic fast but I'm not going to make any promises. Hope you guys like it! :)**

As his name left my lips, his eyes looked directly at me, freezing me where I stood. Naruto took a step away from Sasuke, probably thinking I was going to wrap my arms around my old teammate in a hug. Sasuke just smirked down on me, obviously thinking the same thing.

I closed the distance between us and stood in front of them silently. I refused to look anywhere but the ground. "What's going on?" I managed to ask after a few moments of awkward silence.

Naruto took a deep breathe before starting. "Sasuke has come back to the village and has agreed to do what ever we say. He will become a Konoha citizen again and, eventually, a ninja." Naruto answered quickly. I let that knowledge sink into my head, going through it over and over again in my mind.

"What's his punishment?" I ask a little bit afterwards. "He isn't allowed to take on missions for a whole year, he is to help the community where I see fit, and he is to be under house arrest for the first month that he is here." Naruto listed off, counting by his fingers to make sure he got all three.

After a moments silence, I asked,"So what now?" Naruto rubbed the back of his head in thought, trying to think of an answer he hadn't thought of before. "I guess I don't really know."

I glanced at Sasuke and found him staring at me intensely. That was enough for a blush to alight itself on my face and for me to whip my head away in embarrassment. I heard Sasuke chuckle to himself.

"Um? How about you guys hug?" Naruto suggested. I stared at him incredulously. He couldn't be serious. I looked over at Sasuke who's face was turned and staring at a nearby tree. I walked up to him quickly, ignoring everyone's obvious discomfort.

Everyone else must have thought I was going to hug him like the fangirl that I used to be. But I stopped myself and thought about it. He doesn't deserve anything from me. He's killed people. He left us to gain power. And for what? To kill his brother and avenge his clan?

How well did that go for him? It left him feeling horrible and bitter towards the village that had once treated him like family, that's what. I wanted to hug him though. To hold him in my arms and scream at him.

But what I did next surprised even myself. With a chakra filled hand, I brought my arm around in a wide swing and slapped the bastard across the face as hard as I could. He seemed to fly back, landing at least ten feet away from where he once stood.

I huffed in anger and grabbed the hand that had just slapped him. It stung like crazy, but that one slap seemed to sate a thirst I never noticed before. I felt satisfied for some reason.

I glared daggers down at Sasuke and then looked at Naruto angrily. "It's going to take more than some damn hug before I will ever except him. He was dead to me the day he turned away from us and that is not about to change."

**So what'd you guys think? Hopefully it wasn't absolutely horrible. Please tell me what you think. Reviews are appreciated. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm so sorry that last chapter was so short. This one is a little over 1,200 words. Long enough? If it's not, then sorry. I've been having writers block lately. And I'm also sorry that I haven't updated in a while. **

Walking back into the village, everybody could tell how pissed I truly was. Everyone cleared the streets as I walked down the middle. I heard whispering behind me, people muttering to themselves and others saying how they thought my reaction would be the opposite of what it was. I even heard some people say something about 'the slap heard around the world.'

I ignored everyone and continued on my way to where I had left Ino. She was still there much to my relief. But she was looking around nervously and biting her bottom lip. Once she spotted me coming her way, she stopped biting her lip and shifted uncomfortably in her standing position.

"So you know?" Ino asked looking me over nervously. I scowled at the question,"Yeah. I do. I wish I didn't." Ino nodded understandingly. "I heard you slap him. Everyone heard it." Ino said casting her eyes down nervously. When I didn't say anything, her nervous look turned into a wide grin. "That sounded like an awesome slap. I hope you knocked some teeth out. Everyone knows he deserves it." Ino laughed.

I couldn't help but join in her laughter and start walking. She walked beside me and talked animatedly the whole time. "I probably left some bruising, but I didn't see any teeth." I said, telling her about my magnificient slap.

"Damn. That would have been the only thing that would have made the slap any better than it already was." Ino said in mock disappointment. We both laughed and made our way towards my house that was located just on the outskirts of Konoha.

Once we got to the house, we just walked in and plopped down on the couch. "So do you think you'll be able to deal with him for very long?" Ino asked suddenly. I wrenched myself out of my previous thoughts and looked my friend in the eyes.

I thought to myself a second before answering,"I guess I'll treat him like anyone else once things settle out. But if I see him again in the next week or so, I might break a few bones." I sighed heavily and thought about Sasuke.

Was I too hard on him? No. I don't really think I was. Honestly, I believe he deserves far worse than the small little slap I gave him. Anywhere else, he would have been killed on the spot.

For the next hour, Ino and I talked animatedly about several things: Our jobs, guys we liked, and some random topics that had to do with nothing. But our conversation was cut short compared to how long we usually talk by a loud knock at my door.

We both perked up at the sound and we looked at each other skeptically. "Expecting anyone?" Ino asked. I shook my head,"No. But if it's Naruto coming here with Sasuke then I will punch a hole through my door."

I got up from the couch and stalked over to the door, grumbling the whole way. I hated it when I'm having my talk time with Ino and have it interupted. I swung the door open and before I could stop myself, I turned back around and punched the wooden door behind me.

I turned back to face a scared shitless looking Sasuke and a freaked out Naruto. I ignored their faces and instead tried to hide my growing anger. "What is he doing here?" I demanded in a deathly quiet tone.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head nervously before saying,"Well, the Uchiha compound is kind of in shambles after not being used for so many years. I can't think of anyone else I can trust him with. I'd take him but me and Hinata don't really have enough room." I groaned in annoyance and stared at my old yellow-haired teammate with an incredulous look.

"Ino!" I yelled nearly on the verge of hysterics. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples already feeling a headache coming on. If I didn't have someone calm me down, I was going to destroy a lot more than just my door and I didn't really want to do that considering I really like my house.

The blondette came up from behind me and looked at Sasuke and Naruto from behind my back. "I see you still have your teeth, Uchiha." Ino greeted in a deadpanned tone. Sasuke only glared at her from behind the black hair covering his eyes.

"I see you're still an anorexic whore, Yamanaka." Sasuke growled. Instead of punching him out of his wits, I got real close up to his face. "You might want to be nice to her. As of right now, you live with me. I decide where you sleep and don't think I'm not above making you sleep outside in a dog house. I will treat you like the dirty fucking asshole you are." I snapped seething with anger.

He looked like he was ready to say some kind of nasty retort but was cut off by Naruto. "So that means you agree to take him?" I sighed and rubbed my temple in frustration again and then looked at Sasuke. "Sure. Why the hell not. It's like anybody else can make him suffer like I can." I smirked.

Sasuke seemed to shrink a little at that but otherwise remained as stoic as usual. I looked over at Ino and saw that she was smirking too. "Well, let me leave you two to have some _alone _time." Ino said following Naruto down the steps on my porch.

"Please try not to kill him." Naruto threw over his shoulder before both blondes departed. I took one more look at Sasuke before groaning again and going back into my house. I heard Sasuke follow closely behind as I entered my kitchen.

I slumped into a chair at my kitchen table and motioned for him to do as suit. He sat silently across from me and stared at me with an intensity that nearly got under my skin. "So what now?" Sasuke asked me quietly.

I looked at him and then looked over at my blender sitting on the counter nearby. It suddenly looked really fascinating to me. I had no idea what to do. After a few more moments, I looked back at Sasuke.

"I'm going to give you rules. As long as you obey them I will allow you to live in my house and not outside. Got it?" I demanded. He looked at me seriously and was silent for a moment before nodding.

"Good. First, you will do as I say. When I tell you to do chores or what not, you do them. Second, I expect you to find a job. I don't care what it is, but you are not going to sit around doing nothing while I work. Third, you will not disrespect anyone I bring over here. You do, I will shove a broom up your ass and slit your throat. Kapeesh?" I said in a sickly sweet tone.

His brow furrowed with each rule and I swore he shrank in his chair as I said the last. "Kapeesh." he nearly choked out. I smiled knowing that I had won.

**Hope you liked it! Please R&R.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Just a little note to the people reading this: I do realize there is a double space between two of the paragraphs in this fic, but my computer won't let me fix it. Stupid piece of technology. But please, just ignore it. Anyways, hope you like it!**

"Good. Now that the rules have been thrown out, let me show you to your room." I said trying not to show my satisfaction. I got up from the table and didn't even wait for him to get up. I made it to the kitchen door before I heard his foot steps following mine.

Even as I walked up the stairs I could still hear his footsteps right behind me. It was just uncomfortable how close he was. "Back off, Uchiha." I snapped. As I continued walking, I heard his footsteps stop abruptly and then continue as I neared the top.

"First door is the bathroom," I motioned to the first door atop the stairway,"Second room is empty as of right now. Third is my room, so stay out unless I tell you otherwise. The one at the very end can be yours. Temporarily at least."

We walked down to the room and I opened the door so that Sasuke could see inside. He looked at the small room with little interest but nodded his approval. The room was small enough, but it was still quaint and cozy.

The bed posts were black but the mattress, sheets, and pillows were completely white. The walls were white too and the curtains on the windows were white too. To someone who didn't live here, the room would look pretty plain. But even I had to admit, it was pretty plain.

"We'll get you some things to decorate it later." I said walking back out. Sasuke gave me a strange look. "You mean you'd actually buy me things?" Sasuke asked with an almost amused expression.

I came so close to wiping that look off his face with my fist but I thought better of it. "Nope. I'll use your money." I said with satisfaction. Sasuke gave me a quizzical look. "Are you stupid? I don't have any money." Sasuke said with a sickly sweet tone.

"Uchiha, if anyone here is stupid, it's you. Did you forget that you inherited a fortune years ago? When you left the village, that fortune was saved for you. You know, just in case you came back." I said just as sweetly. He frowned at what I said and looked at me carefully.

"What made anyone think I'd come back?" Sasuke said in a low, dangerous voice. "You're here now, aren't you?" I snapped back. He looked like he was about to say something but then stopped. He seemed dumbstruck. Well, that's definitely a first.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to attend to." I said with a controlled tone. I needed to get out of that room before I snapped at him again. As I walked out of the room, I yelled,"Don't forget, Uchiha. One hour."

As I walked down the hall, I heard the door slam shut and the sound of something hitting a wall inside the room. He probably just punched the wall or something. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to keep walking. I wanted to turn around, bust down that door, and beat the living crap out of that arrogant twit, but I knew I had to remain calm and not hit him again.

Knowing myself, I'd regret it later. So I continued walking and didn't turn back. When I arrived downstairs, I immediately made my way into the kitchen and grabbed the phone that hung on the wall. I grabbed it carefully and dialed a number I knew all too well.

"Hello? Sakura? How's everything going?" Naruto answered with a hint of worry. He probably thought I called to tell him I'd killed the bastard Uchiha already and that I needed the body carried away. I smiled against the receiver and answered,"Everything is going well enough. Haven't killed him yet anyways."

I could hear the relieved breathe of air escape through Naruto's lips. "Well, that's good to hear. What can I do for you then?" Naruto asked with his normal cheery tone. I explained to him that I wanted to tap into Sasuke's money account so the Uchiha could get some new things.

"Sounds good to me. I'll have someone send a wad of money over in a bit." Naruto said. "Thank you. By the way, how long will the bastard be staying with me?" Naruto didn't answer for a few moments but when he did, I regretted asking,"It might take a couple months for the Uchiha compound to be restored. Sorry, Sakura." I sighed in dismay.

"It's fine, Naruto. I have a large house with more space than I know what to do with. I even sort of feel an obligation to watch and take care of him. He's my old teammate after all. I'd do the same for you. Even if you had killed like Sasuke has." I said carefully as I cast my eyes down at the floor. 'Thank you." Naruto said, truly greatful for what I was doing.

We said our goodbyes and as I hung up the phone, I couldn't help but wonder what I'd do for the next how many months with my new house guest. "I think I'm going to go crazy." I whispered aloud.

"I think you might already be there." an emotionless voice said from across the room. I guess I wasn't entirely surprised to hear Sai's voice in my kitchen. I turned around to look at Sasuke's replacement sitting at my table eating one of the apples from my counter. "You really have to stop coming over here and eating my food." I said poking him in the shoulder as I passed by him.

I grabbed an apple from the counter and sat across from him. "But your food is good." he said before taking another bite of the fruit. "Yeah. But it's not like you can't buy your own at the market." I said after taking a bite of my own apple.

Sai took on an amused expression, which I knew was fake and forced, and said,"Now why would I do that when I can eat your food for free." I snorted at his words and bit into my apple again. I chewed a bit before saying,"Your lucky I have enough money to keep me fat and happy the rest of my life or else I'd be forced to steal food in order to feed you."

Sai stared at me blankly as he thought about what I'd said. "Well we can't have that. How about I take you out for lunch then?" Sai asked. He still had on his emotionless face but he seemed completely serious about this.

I considered it for a second, thinking it was probably just something he read in his book. You know, take a person out to eat so you'll their trust or some kind of crap like that. This was a new for Sai though. He had never taken anyone out to eat. But I couldn't help but say yes. It was free food after all.

"Good. I'll be back in," Sai glanced at the clock hanging on the wall,"Half an hour. By the way, you might want to change your shirt." With a poof of smoke, Sai was gone. Once I was sure he was gone, I looked down at my attire. I still had on my usual plain red shirt and black pants. But what wasn't there before was the juice of my apple staining my shirt.

"Lovely." I said in annoyance. I ate the remainder of my apple and threw the core away before heading back upstairs. I pulled my hair back in a simple ponytail and slipped into a black skirt that went down to my lower thighs. I then slipped on a red tank top before putting on my usual black ninja boots.

I looked at myself in the mirror and nodded in approval. I had the night shift tonight so I needed something comfortable anyways. Some people might not know it, but skirts are so incredibly comfortable.

Once I was done dressing, I heard the doorbell ringing downstairs. I hurried down, taking at least two steps a time and took a second to regain my composure before opening the door. Looking outside, the first thing I noticed was that there was absolutely no one there. I felt my face scrunch up in confusion and looked around my porch. Nothing.

Just when I gave up looking, I glimpsed a small package laying on my welcome mat. I picked it up cautiously and tore at the paper. I peeked inside the small wrapping and smiled. Stacks of cash and a letter from Naruto to go with it. I read the letter before going inside.

_Dear Sakura, _

_ Like I said before, please don't kill him. There is enough money to last him for months. But of course, take some out for yourself since you are the one that has to take care of him. _

_Sincerely, Naruto_

I smiled at the little reminder of not killing Sasuke and hurried back inside. I peeked into the kitchen and looked for the clock. Good. I still had five minutes to do whatever till Sai would come back.

I walked back upstairs, knocked on Sasuke's door and said,"Be down in less than five minutes." I walked back into my room and grabbed a small purse and put the cash inside. If I put it anywhere else, I'd lose it. I slung the small accessory over my arm and walked back out.

Peering down the steps as I went down I saw that Sai had arrived early. Looking to his left though, I saw Sasuke looking at my emotionless teammate with loathing and curiousity. I sighed deeply. Tonight will probably last forever.

I walked down the rest of the stairs and handed Sasuke the wad of cash I had previously had in my purse. "I'm sure you are perfectly capable of shopping for yourself." I said. Sasuke snatched the cash away from my hand and was just about to walk out the door before I stopped him.

"Meet me at the hospital at seven pm. Don't be late." I said. He made some kind of 'hn' sound and walked out the door. "Well then, shall we go?"

**Well, that was it. Sorry. I've been uber busy with some stuff lately but I got a fever this morning so I stayed home. With nothing better to do, I decided to update this fic, among others. I asked, about a week or more ago if someone could beta this fanfic. So far, no reply. So if anybody feels up to it, PM me and tell me what you would do as beta reader. I'm not particularly picky so anybody feel free to do it. Thanks. :)**


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